WAVERLY, Ohio — The Pike County General Health District will take over management of the county’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, beginning Oct. 1, the district announced.
The transition follows the Community Action Committee of Pike County’s decision to relinquish administration of the program. The Health District applied to the Ohio Department of Health for the WIC grant and was awarded it, according to a news release.
WIC services will continue on the same schedule, at the same location and with no immediate staffing changes, the Health District said. The program has operated out of 715 W. Emmitt Ave. in Waverly.
“Our goal is to make this a smooth transition for the families who rely on WIC,” said Matt Brewster, health commissioner of the Pike County General Health District. “We are very appreciative of the work that has been done to serve Pike County families through the WIC program, and we look forward to building on that foundation as we move forward.”
The Health District thanked the Community Action Committee, which has served Pike County since 1964, for its cooperation during the handoff. WIC provides nutrition education, breastfeeding support, supplemental foods and referrals to income-eligible pregnant women, new mothers, infants and children up to age 5.
Brewster said the district sees opportunities over time to expand WIC services and coordinate them more closely with its other health programs, and eventually hopes to bring WIC under the same roof as the Health District’s other offices. No immediate changes to the program’s location are planned, officials said.
“We want families to know that while the organization managing the program is changing, the commitment to our community is not,” Brewster said.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Pike County General Health District.
